W is for Wing-Nut

What “terms of endearment” do you use at your house? And how do they compare to our list of regulars?

Wing-Nut, Bone-Head, Goof-Ball, Nut-Bar, etc.

We use humor to get through a lot of things around here, so those names are always used in jest and never in anger. We use them to break tension in the room, or to bring the kids out of a funk or to stop a huge fight. It seems to be one of the few ways that we can get our hormonal teens out of a bad place that they’re in. Make em’ laugh and hope that they move on.

When it comes to kids, you need to figure out ways to reach them. Sometimes they’re relatively easy to figure out and other times, you have to try 50 things before you find one that sticks. You may need to use humor, or you may never be able to laugh at or with them at all. You may have to always use a stern voice, or you might have to only whisper when correcting them. Odds are really good that you’re going to have to treat each of your kids a little bit differently to be the most effective, so don’t try to force them all into one mold. If one thing doesn’t work, try something else. Whatever you do, don’t quit. Keep fighting to reach your kids.

And if you need to start calling them wing-nuts … I give you permission to use that. (Yep … it even made it onto our family wall decal).

This post is Day 26 of the Summer Blog Challenge – 31 posts in 31 Days